The resistance never announced itself.
That was what made it dangerous.
Aria felt it not as disruption, but as drag, a subtle resistance in the system's motion, like friction beneath polished gears. Decisions still resolved. Processes still executed. But the ease was gone.
Every outcome now carried weight.
Not because the architecture had failed.
Because it was being tested by people who had learned how to lean without pushing.
Victor's voice cut through the low hum of the operations floor. "The pilots stabilized engagement in the short term. But the long-term variance is increasing."
Aria stood beside him, eyes scanning layered projections. "Meaning?"
"Meaning the system is becoming more expressive," Victor said. "Different clusters are behaving differently under identical conditions."
Dante entered quietly, already absorbing the tension. "That was inevitable."
Elena glanced up. "Diversity of behavior was the goal. But diversity without cohesion becomes fragmentation."
